Anti-Heart Disease Diet

Cutting your risk of heart disease can be achieved with good dietary habits or, as we like to call it, an anti-heart disease diet. The truth is that adding the right foods and avoiding others can keep heart disease at bay. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study shows that the anti-heart disease diet can protect from heart attack because it contributes to a slimmer waistline. Increased waist circumference, however, greatly contributes to the chances of men developing heart disease.

According to Professor Elio Riboli, coordinator of the EPIC study, “the good news is that you don't need to take an expensive test and wait ages for the result to assess this aspect of your health — it costs virtually nothing to measure your waist and hip size… If you have a large waist, you probably need to increase the amount of exercise you do every day, avoid excessive alcohol consumption and improve your diet. This could make a huge difference in reducing your risk of an early death."

Combating heart disease is easy if you watch what you eat and adopt an anti-heart disease diet. Foods and chemicals can cause inflammation in the lining of the blood vessels, promoting the formation of plaque (atherosclerosis) that can lead to heart attack. Recent studies show that food can play a big role as ant-heart disease weapons. It is not just about exercise, as every two inch increase in waist size also increases our risk of death by 17%. Even if you are not obese, a thicker waistline can set off a series of hormonal releases that lead to inflammation in the body, which then leads to heart disease.

Helping you fend off an early grave is the anti-heart disease diet.

Mediterranean diet (including nuts)

Enjoy a handful of nuts daily. By adding about an ounce of mixed nuts to a Mediterranean diet, you add good fat that fights heart disease. Nuts should be an integral part of an anti-heart disease diet. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are all beneficial in the fight against heart disease.

Limit your alcohol intake

Red and white wine is beneficial for heart health, but too much alcohol, especially in the form of binge drinking, can lead to trouble that promotes heart disease. Calorie-laden beer can contribute to heart disease because too many calories increase the body mass index. It would be best to limit your alcohol consumption in your anti-heart disease diet to a moderate intake of red or white wine to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Avoid pre-packaged, processed foods

Processed foods contain chemicals that can cause inflammation in the lining of the blood vessels, leading to heart disease. An anti-heart disease diet should include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in anti-oxidants.